The ICRC has opened a new physiotherapy unit in Mogadishu that will serve patients from two local hospitals.

The hospitals of Medina and Keysaney in Mogadishu are celebrating the inauguration of a brand new physiotherapy unit, furnished almost entirely by locally manufactured equipment.

During the ceremony, the ICRC physiotherapist said that the cooperation between ICRC and the two hospitals had been excellent.

" The staff have shown remarkable motivation and a desire to learn. We have managed to start from ground zero and create a functional department here in Medina Hospital. Equally impressive is the quality of craftsmanship applied to the locally produced equipment " .

In August 2005, the ICRC introduced its first structured physical therapy training course aimed at developing skills and improving the quality of treatment. The training provided technical and practical knowledge for the treatment of weapon-wounded patients and included 4 physiotherapy assistants, 2 from each rehabilitation unit of the ICRC-supported hospitals in Mogadishu.

The present capacity of two full-time physiotherapy-trained technicians at Medina Hospital will allow for 16 patient consultations per day. Most are weapon wounded, with cases such as thorax and abdominal injuries, post-operative lower limb amputations and leg fractures.

Weapon wounded injuries are a daily occurrence in Mogadishu, and civilians are often caught up in the crossfire. To date in 2005, close to 1,400 weapon wounded cases were registered by both hospitals.

The ICRC plans to continue the training program in 2006 to further develop technical capacities and referral systems.

Medina hospital in south Mogadishu and Keysaney, a SRCS-run hospital located in north Mogadishu, are both key community referral hospitals supported by the ICRC since 1992 and 2000 respectively. With a 65-bed capacity, they are run and managed entirely by Somali doctors and staff.